Afghanistan Extradites Jailbreak Fugitives To Tajikistan

December 27, 2010 19:17 GMT

A number of the fugitives from the Dushanbe jailbreak are still at large.

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Afghanistan Extradites Jailbreak Fugitives To Tajikistan

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DUSHANBE -- Tajikistan's State National Security Committee has confirmed that four Tajik citizens have been extradited from Afghanistan, including two fugitives from a mass jailbreak four months ago, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reports.

Committee spokesman Nozirjon Buriev told RFE/RL on December 26 that the previous day the Afghan security services handed over the four, who had illegally entered Afghanistan from Tajikistan.

Buriev said two of the four -- Hikmat Aziziov, nicknamed "Kuri Malysh" (a mixed expression of Tajik and Russian meaning "blind kid") and Bahromjon Orifov -- were escapees from the August 22 mass jailbreak from a prison in Dushanbe.

He said the other two, Rustam Tohirjonov and Ikrom Otaboev, were suspected members of the banned Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and were charged with serious crimes.

Buriev said that three others being held in Afghanistan were also escapees from the August jailbreak, but he said they were Afghan citizens and Afghanistan wanted to put them on trial.

The seven were arrested in northern Afghanistan earlier this month.

In August, 25 inmates -- citizens of Tajikistan, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan -- broke out of a National Security Committee prison in Dushanbe, killing five guards.

Twelve fugitives have been recaptured, while three have been killed. The remaining 10 are still at large.